Natural horsemanship is a way of being with the horse, not a discipline of riding. It is much more than riding in itself. It is the human adapting to the ways of the prey animal to form a trusting relationship with a prey animal. There are so many resources out there, and this blog is my journey with horses as I set out on this conquest of knowledge.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

From the Cradle

This morning we started by playing a carrot stick toss game by the lodge. Ryan was once again impressed by the prowess of our class. We were in a circle and everyone had to toss the stick to the right, which mean throwing a stick and catching one at the same time. We got it in minutes and he claims that it usually takes an hour to get the hang of it. I guess we are just an amazing fast track! In the end, in stead of a savvy clap, we all threw our sticks into the air on "VY!" of "SAVVY!" Bonnie Mcintyre caught it on video.

We went off to start our focus stations, next. I spent an hour getting Blu warmed up, saddled, and warmed up some more. I played in zone 5 and won the game with a jump. I focused on connection on the hill by the pens during the yoyo.

In Arena Grande, about 10 of us were prepared for a trail ride led by Bonnie. Bonnie asked me to be the caboose horse and Blu was great, there. He did not mind getting too far behind if he did. I chatted with Charity during the ride. Charity looks just like Jodi from the TV show McLeod's Daughters. If only her hair was blonde!

We rode by the base of Scooch Mountain. Bonnie told us the story of her externship group going down it. Apparently a lot of them cried. It can be very dangerous because if the rider is not confident and sure of herself and the horse gets sideways, they can flip over. Next summer, I am going down it.

On the way home, Bonnie had us space out 20' apart and then the front horses turned at a certain point and wove through the line of oncoming horses then joined the tail end. The horses got really relaxed, which was the whole point; Bonnie let all the horses get relaxed on this exercise then graze before heading home. When we got into the pasture by the honeycomb, Bonnie led us in leg yields before we grazed together again. That's when we all agreed to prank Ryan by telling him during highlight sharing that we did Scooch Mountain.

The stage was set, Ryan asked for highlights. Bonnie said "My group has something to share!" and we all shouted in unison "We did Scooch Mountain!" Ryan's face turned into one of pure confusion and Bonnie told him we were just kidding.

"What did they say? I couldn't understand because they all said it at once."

How hysterical is that?

Ryan gave a demo on zone 5 driving after an unexpected liberty session with Scamper. He found out that he has to have something going with her by Thursday so he can show it at rehearsal for the Summit.

In the workshop, I snagged Ryan and asked for help with Blu's and my canter transitions with soft feel. After watching, Ryan highly recommended a cradle bridle. I went to the tack room and grabbed the cradle bit I bought over a year ago. In Arena Grande, I put it together and put it on Blu. He took it from me nicely and had good response to it when I tested it on the ground.

After riding around without touching it for a few minutes, I did fluid rein and he stretched right into it. I played the friendly game with soft feel and we progressed to holding it. Then we did walk trot transitions. Everything was effortless and no fussing. I couldn't believe that this tool had been hanging in the farmhouse for so long and I did not touch it. To my credit, we are now THOROUGHLY ready for the cradle bridle.

I finished our evening with a lope in the pasture. Blu and I chased down Sandy Stanway as she drove off, but otherwise, he grazed on top of the hill by the honeycomb. I unsaddled him right there on the hill and carried the saddle all the way back to the tack room.

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About Me

I am a young horsewoman with a million things on my mind. I have been a student of the horse all my life. As a little girl, I had a desire to understand horses on deeper levels. I believed that there was no such thing as a bad horse, and I believed that all horses were beautiful. One might say that I was a naive child, but I guess I don't have an excuse anymore, because I still believe all of that, and Parelli Natural Horsemanship is helping expand on this perspective.

What We Are Currently Playing With

Followers

Zones of the Horse

I refer to zones of the horse throughout my blog. I learned to use them from the Parelli program.

Green Horse Farm Layout

This is a map of my farm. Click the image to enlarge.

Misty

My sister and I were given Misty and her half-sister Ginger when they were 3. They are both purebred 1998 Egyptian Arabians. Misty is the first horse I trained, and now she is my best friend.

Panda's Blu Secret

My 2005 Quarter Horse Appendix. A Left Brain Introvert, he enjoys turning around letting us scratch his bum and sunbathing. His youth gives him the energy to fulfill his hopes to become a dominant horse in his herd by kicking up a lot of dust, or snow, as it may be!